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How To in Pix: UCRs

First the credits and legal: Having watched Sgt Rock's video on how to make UCRs and his video on the Ghost Hammock, I decided (before I went back to ground) that this was a superb idea and that it would be a fun project to boot. Well, it didn't disappoint. I made my ghost hammock, and had purchased the materials to make the UCRs and just never got around to it. Until tonight. I was bored, and with nothing else to do (except cleaning, bills, taxes etc etc.) I figured I'd make them. Now, I'm a simple soul, and was just not able to glean the information as cleanly as I would have like to have from Sgt Rock's vid. So, I took that information and rewrapped it in a different paper. This guide does assume you know how to make a continuous loop, a locked brummel and a bury to finish an end. It also assumes you know how to taper the end of any of the hollow core thread, rope what ever. If you don't, please refer to these links as I ain't 'splainin' it.

Finally, I'm relying on these lines to hold my 165# rear end up off the ground whilst I eat lunch. Your rear end may weigh more, it may weigh less. Either way, make sure you do your buries in accordance with either A. The manufacturer's recommendation (http://www.neropes.com/Datasheets/ARB_dynaglide.pdf) OR B. Whatever you feel comfortable with. If you follow what I did, which is 3" bury, I am not responsible for you falling on your behind and breaking your tail bone. Okay, on with the tutorial.

Tools: Your choice of splicing tools, I used metal knitting needles, a leatherman and my Mora to cut with. You'll also need a sewing machine and a lighter. I also used a roller-cutter mat since it has inch markings on it. That was mostly for show, since I used a tape measure to measure the lengths and just eye-balled it from there. Of note, I made 1/2" tapers on all ends of the Dyna Glide prior to starting. So that is not shown.

1. Measure and cut two sets of 12" Section, 18" Section, 24" Section and a 64" Section of DynaGlide. Additionally cut two 62" sections of Mule Tape. I used two different colors so I could tell head-end from foot-end as I'm stumbling back from the bathroom (nearest tree) at 3 in the AM.

2. Select your 24" section of DynaGlide and a whoopie hook. This will be the end that hooks to your hammock. Thread your hook onto one end of the DG and make a locked brummel with a 3" (OR MORE) bury. Now, one of the pix shows a couple of sharpie dots on the dynaglide. I mostly did this for dramatic effect. People use these dots to determine length. I don't, I hold up what I'm trying to accomplish, make sure I have enough bury to keep me happy and run with it. For those of you who measure, the dots are for you. Upon reflection, it's worth mentioning here that a longer piece would work better. It would allow for a longer bury as well as leaving more room for a tail with which to tie a Prussik know as a safety. We'll get to that later on.

3. Once you have completed the locked brummel with the Whoopie Hook, you want a nice finished end. You will take up about 1" at the free end and bury it inside itself. Remember to insert your splicing tool below where you want the end to come out so that it will cover back up. You can also insert a pin or something inside between where you insert the end and the loop to prevent it pulling in too far. See pictures as they are a lot more descriptive that anything I can muster right now.

4. Next up, select your 64" section of dynaglide and make an eye with a locked brummel at one end. Use a 3+" bury here too. Remember, it has to support your weight.

5. Now, you have an eye in one end of your 64" piece of DG and a whoopie hook on one end of your 24" piece of DG, time to put them together. With the Eye and the Whoopie hook on OPPOSITE ends, go about 3" down from the end of piece with the hook. Insert free end of eye piece and bury for 12". Remember, your butt, not mine. It should come out near the whoopie hook. If your whoopie hook and eye come out on the same side, you weren't paying attention and did something wrong. Try again. At this point, you should have the two pieces mated together. You should notice that the end of the piece with the eye in it still needs to be finished. You can do that now, same as finishing the previous end. See picture for illustration.

6. At this juncture, I would suggest tying a small safety knot around the sliding portion of the UCR. This helps provide some tension so that things don't just slide apart. Someone with knot skillz could chime in here. I just made something up that accomplished my purpose. It doesn't need to be super tight, just enough to provide some drag.

Final product so far should look like this:

7. Next we are going to make the part that lark's heads' onto the tree strap. So select your 12" section and a second WH. Slide the WH onto the cord and make a continuous loop. If you don't know how, see the link provided above.

8. Now we are going to make another continuous loop that will get lark's headed onto the end of your hammock. Please select the 18" piece of dyna glide (should be the last piece you have laying around on your work surface). If you don't have a knotted hammock and are using sewn channels, I suggest you make a dog bone, thread that through the channel and larks head it on. A dog bone is a piece of cord with two eyes on either end. Locked brummels are used to make them.

9. Now that all the splicing is done, it's time to make the tree strap. Select your 62" piece of mule tape. Fold over enough on either end that it won't make you cringe and either knot it, or do as I did and put bar tacks in. Though this may seem obvious to some, it wasn't to me sooo. To form a bar tack, select the zig-zag setting on your sewing machine, make the needle go to a narrower setting and go back and forth up and down the fabric a few times until it looks similar to the picture. I will note that this mule tape is really slippery and will probably make your sewing machine want to have a seizure, so do the machine a favor and help push and pull the tape along through the feed dogs. I did 5 bar tacks per end. You will need to make loops on either end. Finally, larks head your continous loop with the WH on it through one end and the actual UCR on the other. Then larks head the continuous loop you made out of the 18" piece on to the hammock and presto, you're done.

Hope this helps, if you have any questions feel free to PM me or ask them here.

Oh, and because someone ALWAYS asks: Final weight for my UCRs (together) was 2.35oz. The pic below shows my ghost hammock and the weight reflects the suspension in a baggy, the hammock and the cuben stuff sack.

Always Room for One More

Originally Posted by CB200T

Doh! Could have saved myself a few hours! Nice tutorial fallkniven!

Fallkniven made a great tutorial on UCR's. You made a great one as well. While they may seem the same, you have made one which follows Sgt Rocks UCR's and suspension for the Ghost Hammock. If and when I get back down to 165lbs, I'll be making myself a set as well.

Great job on the sewing of those straps. Sgt Rocks could take a lesson from you on that part.

Fallkniven made a great tutorial on UCR's. You made a great one as well. While they may seem the same, you have made one which follows Sgt Rocks UCR's and suspension for the Ghost Hammock. If and when I get back down to 165lbs, I'll be making myself a set as well.

Great job on the sewing of those straps. Sgt Rocks could take a lesson from you on that part.

Kind of you to say and thanks for the compliment. Enjoyed doing this! Next project won't be happening for a while sadly

Hope this helps, if you have any questions feel free to PM me or ask them here.

Forgive my ignorance, I don't really understand this part. You have a small loop, and a long whoopie that get attached to each end of the webbing, but in the pics of the hang I'm not seeing (understanding) how it all gets put together?